


Strength of Heart

by paragraph (ebcdic)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Blackmail, Boxing & Fisticuffs, Flirting, Forced Prostitution, Inspired by Disney, M/M, Sarcasm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-02 19:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12732579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebcdic/pseuds/paragraph
Summary: Jared wears his heart on his sleeve, Jensen's a cynic with a broken heart. Their love story isn't exactly written in the stars.





	Strength of Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for J2 Ever After. Based on the Disney movie Hercules.

"Man, the way you knocked him out. One, two. One, two."

Jared laughs softly as he watches his friend and trainer, Chad, do a little dance down the street. Chad had boxed in the lightweight division until the doctor told him one more concussion and he'd be brain dead. Like most boxers, he couldn’t stay away from the sport, so he started training and Jared had been his first heavyweight client. Not that Jared is anywhere close to being on pay-per-view or anything, but he's good enough that the prize money he wins pays the bills. 

"I think—"

Chad cuts himself off when they hear shouting coming from the alleyway they just passed. Jared immediately turns on his heel to go investigate despite Chad's protests that it's none of their business. As he gets further into the alley, Jared can make out two figures struggling. One of them is a big guy, bigger than Jared, but more fat than muscle. The other looks slight by comparison but can't be more than a few inches shorter than Jared, his muscle structure more like Chad's. 

"Hey!" Jared calls out as he steps closer. "What's going on here?"

"None of your fucking business," the big one growls, his ham-hock-like hands pining the other guy to the wall by his neck.

"Let him go," Jared demands.

The smaller guy rolls his eyes. "I don't need your help, big boy. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, looks like it," Chad snorts from behind Jared.

The big guy slams the smaller one against the wall and then turns to face Jared. "You wanna go? Huh?"

Jared looks the guy up and down, taking in his muscular arms and legs, but soft gut and jowls, and decides to try a punch to the jaw first. The guy stumbles back a bit yet doesn't go down, but Jared just keeps on coming until the guy backs off, holding up his hands.

"Whatever. You can have the bitch."

A coughing noise brings Jared down from his adrenaline high and he turns to see the smaller guy straightening out his clothes. The guy is gorgeous and Jared's heart stutters just a bit looking at him.

"Are you alright… dude?" Jared asks him, ignoring Chad muttering in the background about damsels in distress and other nonsense.

The guy steps away from the wall, still adjusting his leather jacket. "Jensen. My friends call me Jen. At least they would if I had any friends. So, did they give you a name along with all those rippling pectorals?"

Jared blinks at the rapid-patter sarcasm cum flirting and swallows hard at the sultry turn to Jensen's voice. "Umm… uhh."

"Are you always this articulate?" Jensen teases, raising one eyebrow.

"Jared. I'm Jared."

"Well, 'Jared I'm Jared,' I'm out of here." Jensen turns to go.

"Wait," Jared calls out. "How did you get mixed up with that…?"

"Bear wanting to maul me?" Jensen continues on before Jared can get a word in edgewise. "Well, you know johns. They think no means yes and get lost means 'take me I'm yours'." Jensen flutters his eyelashes at the last part, his lips curling into a smirk.

"Uhh," Jared stammers out.

"Don't worry, shorty there will explain it to you. I'm sure he's had plenty of experience," Jensen says dryly.

"Hey!" Chad protests.

"Well, thanks for everything, big boy." Jensen mock salutes and turns to leave again. "It's been a real slice."

"Wait," Jared calls again. "Can we give you a ride?"

"The hell we can," Chad mutters.

Jensen chuckles. "I don't think your friend likes me very much."

"Chad? No he's… it's my car, so…"

Jensen saunters closer and then leans in to whisper into Jared's ear. "Don't worry about it, stud. I can take care of myself. But if you ever need someone to take care of you, you come find me, huh?"

He slips something into Jared's pocket and then walks away. It isn't until he turns the corner that Jared snaps out of it to find Chad mid-rant.

"…what are you thinking? That guy could've killed you. And all for some hustler? You want to ruin your career or what? Let's get going already."

Chad pushes Jared in the direction of where they parked the car and Jared follows along blindly, still thinking of gorgeous green eyes and plush lips.

**

Jensen winds his way through a couple of alleys until he's at the back stairs to his apartment. It's a real shithole with barely functioning plumbing, but at least the heat stays on in the winter, so it's a vast improvement over the men's hotel he used to live in. He whistles a bit as he jogs up the three flights but stops abruptly when he gets to his own landing. Two muscular guys with blank expressions are leaning against the door, arms crossed over their chests. 

"Well if it isn't Dumb and Dumber," Jensen drawls. "What can I do for you gentlemen this evening?"

"Jen, darling," a voice comes out of the shadows of the landing. Jensen winces and turns to find his pimp, Hades, coming forward into the weak light over the door. Hades is tall and skinny, almost skeleton-like, with stringy black hair and intense blue eyes. None of that should be overly intimidating, but it is, especially the way Hades almost constantly smirks, like he knows something you don't. "What exactly happened here? My client isn't very happy."

"Yeah, well, I gave it my best shot, but he made me an offer I had to refuse." Jensen shrugs, backing up a bit toward the stairs.

"You had to refuse? Refusing isn't in your job description, sweetie," Hades says, voice all honey smooth, one eyebrow raised in question.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. It was this concerned citizen that scared him away," Jensen argues.

"And does this concerned citizen have a name?" Hades voice lifts on the last word, like he's genuinely curious.

"Yeah, Jared or something like that. What does it even matter?"

"What matters is that you owe me a lot of money, and if you refuse to get it selling your ass, then you better find another way," Hades remarks almost casually, like he's telling Jensen about the weather, but there's a slight undertone to it. And that is scarier than yelling, punching, or any other form of torture Hades has ever come up with.

Jensen steps back again at the vitriol in Hades' voice. "Yeah, okay. I'll figure something out. Promise."

Without another word, the three of them push past Jensen and stomp down the stairs. Jensen leans against the railing for a second, and then forces himself to unlock his door and head inside. Taped up on the fridge is a note with a long list of numbers scratched off. The bottom figure is ten grand, the top is twenty. Twenty grand, the amount Jensen borrowed from a loan shark to pay his boyfriend's medical bills. His boyfriend, who walked out on Jensen as soon as he was declared cancer-free. Jensen bangs his head lightly against the fridge and then heads to bed, where he dreams about knights in shining armor with floppy brown hair and hazel eyes.

**

It's not like Jared forgets Jensen; it's just that after the night in the alley, Jared's life gets crazy. Suddenly he's being invited into the big leagues; he's got endorsements; and he has a photo-spread in _Sports Illustrated_. He still keeps the card Jensen slipped him, though, and he pulls it out when he's feeling particularly lonely. Like tonight, back in his hometown. But locked up in a hotel room where he's supposed to be resting up. Jared flips the card between his fingers a few times before he finally works up the nerve to dial the number.

"Jensen."

"Oh, hey." Jared licks his lips nervously. "It's Jared. From the alley?"

"Jared from the alley. Doesn't ring a bell?"

Jared huffs. "What, you got a legion of other Jareds that have saved you from getting your ass kicked?"

"Oh, that Jared. Jared I'm Jared," Jensen laughs. "What's up?"

"Well, uh, I was wondering…"

"If I would give you the pleasure of my company?" Jensen finishes for Jared.

"Yeah." Jared coughs lightly. "If you wouldn't mind? I'm at the Hilton."

"You got the money, I've got the honey."

Jensen hangs up before Jared can respond, but Jared really hopes he wasn't serious. 

**

It's not like Jensen completely forgot about his knight in shining armor. He even collected newspaper articles on the guy. But he didn't expect Jared to ever call him, not really. Jared lives in a world of money and prestige; Jensen sells his ass to make rent. Not exactly compatible except in a strictly john/hooker relationship. 

Jensen shakes off those thoughts, switching into seductive hooker mode as he takes a deep breath, before knocking on Jared's door. It's opened seconds later by Jared himself, wearing nothing but a pair of loose, drawstring pants.

"Hey there," Jensen drawls, his eyes skimming slowly up and down Jared's body.

"Hey," Jared repeats with a slight blush. "C'mon in."

Following Jared through the suite, Jensen shrugs off his jacket and tosses it on the couch, and then kicks off his shoes. He's about to pull his shirt over his head when Jared grabs his wrists, stopping him.

"Umm, I think maybe you have the wrong idea about this?" Jared bites his lip. "I'm not. I mean, I don't."

Jensen takes a step back, out of Jared's hold. "You're not what? You don't what?"

"Are you a hooker?" Jared blurts out and then covers his mouth with his hand, his eyes wide in horror.

"Uh, yeah." Jensen scratches the back of his neck. "You didn't know?"

"No, I didn't. I thought that guy… but he was your… client?" Jared stumbles over the words, unsure of what words to use.

"You could say that." Jensen should be walking out of here since he's obviously not going to be making any money tonight but instead he throws himself down on the sofa, sprawling across two cushions. "Client implies I have a choice in the matter though, which, you know."

"Oh, right." Jared sits down at the other end of the couch. "Well, I didn't mean to mislead you. I could pay you for your time?"

Jensen looks at the mixture of guilt and hurt on Jared's face and it shouldn't make one damn difference as far as money is concerned, but Jensen finds himself shaking his head. "Nah, don't worry about it." He stands up, slipping on his shoes and picking up his jacket. "I should get going though."

"Okay, sure," Jared says quickly. He stands and walks Jensen to the door. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Anytime." Jensen is surprised to find he means it. He kisses Jared's cheek. "Be good."

It's a long trek back to his usual corner, but the heat of Jared's skin against Jensen's lips keeps him warm. 

The rest of the night is largely uneventful; the usual spate of blow jobs and one guy who just wanted to suck on Jensen's nipples. Jensen heads home around dawn, yawning as he walks up the back steps to his door. 

"Jen, darling, babe."

Hades steps out of the shadows of the landing and Jensen automatically takes a step back. He still owes way more money than he's comfortable with and these visits are getting more and more frequent.

"I heard you paid a visit to the Hilton tonight."

"It didn't pan out," Jensen says nervously. "Guy thought I was a hook-up, not a hooker."

"I'm not interested in his money, at least not like that."

Hades goes on to explain this grand scheme to make Jared, who is heavily favored to win his next match, lose. Jensen's head swims with the details, the thought of poisoning Jared making him sick to his stomach. Hades presses a vial into Jensen's palm, closing his fingers around it.

"So, you do this and we'll consider it even," he says.

"I won't hurt him," Jensen finds the strength to say.

"Hurt him? Nah, just make him a bit woozy."

"I can't do this," Jensen pleads, holding out the vial.

"You really want to mess with me? How about I tack on another five grand in interest on your loan instead of wiping your slate clean, huh?"

Jensen closes his fingers around the vial again and swallows hard. He can't keep doing this. If it isn't some john getting too rough, it'll be a disease that kills him. Jensen needs to get out so badly, he's shaking with it like an addict. "Okay, alright. I'll do it."

"That's my boy."

He kisses Jensen's forehead before walking away. Jensen barely makes it inside in time to throw up in the sink. 

**

"You ready for this, champ?" Chad asks as he checks the tape on Jared's hands.

"Yeah." Jared rolls his shoulders back. "I'm good. Cake, right?"

"Odds totally in your favor," Chad agrees.

There's a knock on the door and then someone from security pokes their head in. "You got a guest?"

Figuring it's just one of Chad's many siblings, Jared nods. A second later, Jensen appears. Jared is torn between smiling in greeting and frowning in surprise, but Chad solves the problem for him when he turns to see who it is.

"Hey, you're guy from the alley!"

"Uh, yeah, that's me." Jensen seems nervous. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." 

Jensen's eyes flit to Chad. "Alone?"

Chad glances from Jared to Jensen and back again. "You got twenty minutes."

Once Chad is gone, Jensen comes and sits down in the chair across from Jared's. He rests his forearms on his thighs, head hanging down. Jared checks the laces on his shoes again, making sure they're tight. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Jensen pick up his water bottle, flicking the cap on and off again and again. Finally, he sets it down, taking a deep breath.

"I just wanted to wish you luck," Jensen says softly before standing up.

Jared grabs his wrist. "Wait. That's not all you came to say, is it?"

"No, not everything." 

Jensen leans down and kisses Jared. It's a soft kiss, a brush of lips, ending with Jensen flicking his tongue against the corner of Jared's mouth.

"I also wanted—"

The door bangs open, revealing a tall, thin guy Jared's only seen in-person a few times. He's one of the high rollers, always in the front row for every match. Once, one of the promoters introduced them, but Jared's ears were ringing at the time, so he didn't even catch a name.

"Jen, Jen, Jen. I knew you couldn't do it," the guy says, clucking his tongue.

"Hades," Jensen whispers, stepping away from Jared, one of his hands held up in supplication.

"You two know each other?" Jared frowns.

"You could say that," Hades grins. "Jen here works for me."

Jared turns to look at Jensen. "He's your pimp? What's going on here?"

"You see, I entrusted Jen with a small, tiny, little task." Hades steps toward Jensen and rips something out of his hand. He waves it in front of Jared's face. It's a vial of some sort. "But I knew he couldn't do it. See, Jen's major flaw? He falls in love with any guy who treats him halfway decent. Don'tcha, Jen?"

"Hades, please. Don't do this." Jensen steps in front of Jared. "I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt him."

Jared's mind is reeling, trying to take all of this information in, but he stands up without thinking, moving Jensen behind him. "Listen, I don't know what's going on here, but I think you better leave."

"Oh, Jen didn't tell you?" Hades smirks. "He owes me a lot of money. And he was going to use you to pay me off. Until he got cold feet."

"What?" Jared turns to look at Jensen. "What is he talking about?"

Jensen pales. "I didn't want to do it, I really didn't."

Jared turns back to Hades and nods at the vial. "Does it kill me?"

"No. Just makes you a bit woozy. Although, if you agreed to just throw the fight, we wouldn't have to bother with chemistry, huh?" Hades grins.

"Fine." Jared swallows hard. "I throw the fight and you let Jensen go? You'll never bother him again?"

Hades holds a hand over his heart. "Promise."

"Deal." Jared stalks out of the room, not looking back.

**

Hades forces Jensen to sit in the front row with him, so Jensen has to watch Jared take every blow. He flinches at each one. Jared's face is bloody now and his trainer, the other guy from the alley, keeps shaking him, slapping him lightly. He's saying something like, "c'mon champ" but Jared just wipes at his nose with his glove, seemingly paying him no attention.

The bell rings for the next round, but it doesn't last long. Jared goes down for the count on the first punch and doesn't come back up. 

Jensen stands immediately, trying to fight his way toward the ring. He can hear Hades laughing behind him, talking with one of his stooges about how much money he's going to make.

"Five…" the ref is counting out. Chad's shouting at Jared to get up. 

Jensen is held up by a security guard, but he throws his own pleas into the mix. "Jared!"

Jared stumbles to his feet, weaving before the ref. The ref is asking him something and Jared's nodding. Suddenly, he stands up straight, like nothing is wrong. With a shrug, the ref gestures for the match to continue. Jared delivers an uppercut to his opponent, followed by a series of jabs. The guy stumbles back and Jared follows him, delivering a cross so hard that Jensen swears he feels the impact. His opponent goes down and Jared moves back, chest heaving as the ref starts counting. 

"Ten!" the ref calls it. He steps over to Jared and raises his hand to show victory. Jared stands there blankly for a few seconds and then walks away, over to Chad.

Chad is saying "I knew you could do it" while he unlaces Jared's gloves, pulling them off. Jared spits out his mouth guard as soon as Chad's done and then he steps between the ropes, hopping down from the ring, heading straight for Jensen. 

Hades is screaming something about Jensen being a lying whore, but Jensen barely hears him as he breaks free from security and meets Jared halfway. He's unsure until Jared cups his cheek, his thumb caressing Jensen's skin.

"You could've just asked for the money," Jared says just loud enough for Jared to hear. "I would've given it to you. I would've given you anything you asked for, right from the start."

"I couldn't ask you for that. You don't even know me," Jensen says, shaking his head. 

"I know that I want the chance," Jared smiles, moving even closer.

Jensen glances back over his shoulder, worried that Hades is watching all of this so he can throw it back in Jensen's face later. But instead he sees Hades being led away in handcuffs. He turns back to Jared, blinking in confusion.

"Do you know they have cameras in those locker rooms?" Jared grins. "And that the commission has been trying to catch that guy for years?"

"You're totally my hero." Jensen pulls Jared down into a soul-searing kiss. 

Jared pulls back a bit, his eyes shining with love and laughter. "Oh, I'm pretty sure you can take care of yourself."

"Maybe," Jensen says, grinning just as wide. "But it's nice to have a knight in shining armor to sweep me off my feet."

He kisses Jared then, soft and sweet, full of hope for the future for the first time in years.


End file.
